PML-N women councillors accuse own district govt of discrimination

MANSEHRA: Women councillors of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have criticised own district government for discriminating against them in distribution of development funds. “Our district nazim talks much about equality of the male and female councillors in the house but facts are contrary to it and he doesn’t give due shares in development funds to his own party’s female councillors,” Uzma Waheed, a district councillor of PML-N, told reporters on Friday. Uzma, leading a group of women councillors but did not want to disclose their identities, said that they would launch an agitation against discriminatory attitude of the district government towards women councillors. “District Nazim Sardar Said Ghulam consulted allied parties and his aides before finalising the annual development programme but he didn’t take us onboard, thus ignoring 51 percent of the population in the district,” said Uzma. She added that last year, the women councillors of opposition benches had also raised the issue. “The Local Government Act 2013 envisioned proactive role of women in politics and welfare of womenfolk at village, tehsil and district levels and reserved seats for them but this right and distinction is being denied by the district government,” she said.